Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Other Staff Sharyon O'Donnell sharyon.odonnell@mq.edu.au Contact via sharyon.odonnell@mq.edu.au 9-5 Unit Convenor Kate Umbers kate.umbers@mq.edu.au Contact via kate.umbers@mq.edu.au Kate Barry kate.barry@mq.edu.au
Credit points	Credit points 3
Prerequisites	Prerequisites
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description This unit introduces students to the essential concepts in current biology. The unit forms the first step for students pursuing a career in the biological sciences, and provides a basis for students in other disciplines who wish to maintain an interest in this dynamic field. The theme of this unit is evolution. The first part of the unit is concerned with the origin of life and discusses current theories on how life may have arisen on a previously lifeless planet. We discuss evolutionary theory in detail including some of the genetic principles that underlie evolution. In the second part we introduce the major groups of organisms examining their diversity and how they function. In the final part we discuss the ecological interactions between organisms from the small scale to global patterns. Throughout the unit, these core concepts are illustrated with examples from current research. This unit is designed as a companion unit to BIOL115.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

Define the processes of evolution
Describe the major morphological characteristics of the main groups of organisms and compare and contrast their biology
Develop falsifiable hypotheses and design experiments to test them
Test a hypothesis by collecting and analysing appropriate data
Effectively communicate biology using written and oral media
Locate and critically assess scientific literature
Use digital microscopy technology to successfully visualise specimen

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Weekly Activities	3%	No	Weekly
Article Search	2%	No	Prac 4
Oral presentation	3%	No	Prac 5
Online Peer review	2%	No	TBA
Midsemester test	15%	No	Intrl: May 2, Extrl: May 18
Scientific journal article	25%	No	Intrl: May 13, Extrl: May 23
Final exam	50%	No	TBA

Weekly Activities

Due: Weekly
Weighting: 3%

A range of activities to prepare for the weekly Practical, assessment tasks and revise concepts

On successful completion you will be able to:

Define the processes of evolution
Describe the major morphological characteristics of the main groups of organisms and compare and contrast their biology
Develop falsifiable hypotheses and design experiments to test them
Test a hypothesis by collecting and analysing appropriate data
Effectively communicate biology using written and oral media

Article Search

Due: Prac 4
Weighting: 2%

Assesing the primary scientific literature

On successful completion you will be able to:

Locate and critically assess scientific literature

Oral presentation

Due: Prac 5
Weighting: 3%

Short presentation to groups students; held during prac 5

On successful completion you will be able to:

Effectively communicate biology using written and oral media
Locate and critically assess scientific literature

Online Peer review

Due: TBA
Weighting: 2%

You will assess several trial prac reports to gain a deeper understanding of the assessment criteria

On successful completion you will be able to:

Define the processes of evolution
Describe the major morphological characteristics of the main groups of organisms and compare and contrast their biology
Effectively communicate biology using written and oral media
Locate and critically assess scientific literature

Midsemester test

Due: Intrl: May 2, Extrl: May 18
Weighting: 15%

A multiple choice test based on the first half of the unit (Lecture 1-11)

On successful completion you will be able to:

Define the processes of evolution
Describe the major morphological characteristics of the main groups of organisms and compare and contrast their biology

Scientific journal article

Due: Intrl: May 13, Extrl: May 23
Weighting: 25%

Prac report in the form of a scientific paper of the BIOL114 experiment

On successful completion you will be able to:

Develop falsifiable hypotheses and design experiments to test them
Test a hypothesis by collecting and analysing appropriate data
Use digital microscopy technology to successfully visualise specimen

Final exam

Due: TBA
Weighting: 50%

A test on knowledge of lecture and practical material up to and including week 13

On successful completion you will be able to:

Define the processes of evolution
Describe the major morphological characteristics of the main groups of organisms and compare and contrast their biology
Develop falsifiable hypotheses and design experiments to test them
Test a hypothesis by collecting and analysing appropriate data
Locate and critically assess scientific literature

Delivery and Resources

CLASSES

Timetable

Lecture 1 Thursday 9am – 10am E7B Mason Theatre
Lecture 2 Friday 3pm - 4 pm X5B T1
Practical 1 Monday 12 - 3pm E8A 120 & E8A 160
Monday 3pm - 6pm E8A 120 & E8A 160
Tuesday 9am – 12 E8A 120 & E8A 160
Tuesday 2 - 5 pm E8A 120 & E8A 160
Wednesday 9am - 12 E8A 120 & E8A 160
Wednesday 12 - 3 pm E8A 120 & E8A 160
Wednesday 3pm - 6 pm E8A 120 & E8A 160

Internal students must attend ONLY ONE practical session a week. You must attend the practical group you were allocated at enrolment, and stay in that group! If there is unexpected enrolment numbers we will offer an additional Monday afternoon practical session. Attendance of practicals is compulsory! External students must attend ALL on-campus sessions!

On-campus session 1 10 March (Sat) 9am - 4pm E8A 120
On-campus session 2 10-11 April (Tues & Wed) 9am - 4pm E8A 120
On-campus session 3 12 - 13 May (Sat & Sun) 9am - 4pm E8A 120

REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND/OR MATERIALS

Recommended unit materials

Textbook

The textbook for this unit is by Reece et al.: CAMPBELL BIOLOGY (9th Edition) by Pearson Education.

This textbook services BIOL114 and BIOL115! The text is available from the Coop bookshop on campus.

UNIT WEBPAGE AND TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED

Website

Lecture graphics and iLectures will be available on iLearn http://ilearn.mq.edu.au

iLearn™ is a web-based computer mediated communication package and can be accessed by most web browsers from inside or outside the University. iLearn and email will be the principle method of communication in this subject. We expect you to use iLearn for:

Doing the weekly quizzes;
Regularly checking subject announcements;
Discussing lectures and tutorials with lecturers and other students;
Downloading lecture materials;
Downloading reference materials;

How do you log in? The URL for the iLearn login page is: http:/i/learn.mq.edu.au/. You will need to log in to iLearn each time you use it. Your user name is your student number.

If you are having trouble accessing your online unit due to a disability or health condition, please go to the Student Services Website at http://students.mq.edu.au/campus_life/wellbeing/ for information on how to get assistance.

If you are having problems logging on after ensuring you have entered your username and password correctly, you should contact Student IT Help, http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.

Unit Schedule

Lecture Topics

Date Lecturer Topic

1. 25 / 02 / 13 Kate BIOL114 and scientific method

2. 28 / 02 / 13 Kate What is life and where does it occur?

3. 04 / 03 / 13 Kate Life on Earth: where did we come from?

4. 07 / 03 / 13 Kate Darwin’s theory of evolution

5. 11 / 03 / 13 Kate Basic genetic principles

6. 14 / 03 / 13 Kate The concept of species & speciation

7. 18 / 03 / 13 Kate Genetic variation and evolutionary change

8. 21 / 03 / 13 TBA TBA

9. 25 / 03 / 13 Kate Cellular organisation & single-cell life forms

10. 28 / 03 / 13 Kate Eukaryotes and multicellular life

11. 01 / 04 / 13 Kate The “Left wall” of life

12. 04 / 04 / 13 Kate Plants as living multicellular organisms

06 / 04 / 11 – 23 / 04 / 10 MIDSEMESTER BREAK

13. 29 / 04 / 13 BA BM &ML Curious plant biology

02 / 05 / 13 Mid-Semester Test

14. 06 / 05 / 13 Kate Animals as living multicellular organisms

15. 09 / 05 / 13 Kate Energy and growth in multicellular organisms

16. 13 / 05 / 13 Kate Reproduction of multicellular organisms

17. 16 / 05 / 13 Kate Life-history stages of plants and animals

18. 20 / 05 / 13 Kate Behaviour of plants and animals

19. 23 / 05 / 13 Kate Ecology and the environment

20. 27 / 05 / 13 Kate Population ecology

21. 30 / 05 / 13 Kate Community ecology

22. 03 / 06 / 13 Kate Ecosystems

23. 06 / 06 / 13 Kate The future of planet Earth

Practical sessions (internals)

Week	Date	Activity	Assessment
1		No Practicals	Weekly Activity 1
2	04 - 06/03/13	Prac 1: Welcome, Introduction to some major Phyla, introduction to Practicals; safety induction; library challenge; Induction to digital microscopy	Weekly Activity 2
3	11 - 13/03/13	Prac 2: Scientific method; the BIOL1114 experiment & set up & instructions for Article Search	Weekly Activity 3
4	18 - 20/03/13	Prac 3: Early life on earth; the BIOL114 experiment; information about Oral Presentation	Weekly Activity 4 Article Search
5	25 - 27/03/13	Prac 4: Natural selection; induction to scientific illustration; BIOL114 experiment	Weekly Activity 5
6	01 - 03/04/13	Prac 5: Cells – Animal, plant & Protozoa; BIOL114 experiment; Students give Oral Presentation	Weekly Activity 6 Oral presentation
Mid-semester break 06/04/13 – 28/04/13
7	29/04/13 – 01/05/13	Prac 6: Putting the Scientific Journal Article together Discussion of Peer Review	Weekly Activity 7
8	06 – 08/05/13	Prac 7: Plant diversity	Weekly Activity 8 Peer Review
9	13 - 15/05/13	Prac 8: Microbial and fungal diversity	Weekly Activity 9 Scientific Journal Article due internals
10	20 - 22/05/13	Prac 9: Animal diversity	Weekly Activity 10 Scientific Journal Article due externals
11	27 - 29/05/13	Prac 10: Animal and plant reproduction; Meet & greet researchers in department; Tutors return Prac-report to students	Weekly Activity 11
12	03 - 05/06/13	Prac 11: BIOL114 Synthesis, revision & discussion of final exam	Weekly Activity 12
13		No Practicals	All Weekly Activities will be available for revision

External Schedule	Dates	Practicals	Assessment
On Campus Session 1	9 March (Sat)	Pracs 1 & 2	Ensure you have completed Weekly Activities 1 & 2
On Campus Session 2	15-16 April (Mon & Tues)	Pracs 3 - 6	Ensure you have completed Weekly Activities 3, 4, 5 & 6 *Article Search* *Oral Presentation*
On Campus Session 3	18 &19 May (Sat & Sun)	Pracs 7 - 11	*Mid-semester Test* May 18 at 9am Ensure you have completed: · *Weekly Activities 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11* · *Peer Review* REMINDER: Scientific Journal Article due 23/05/13 at midday via email

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Special Consideration Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/special_consideration/policy.html

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services can be accessed at: http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

UniWISE provides:

Online learning resources and academic skills workshops http://www.students.mq.edu.au/support/learning_skills/
Personal assistance with your learning & study related questions.
The Learning Help Desk is located in the Library foyer (level 2).
Online and on-campus orientation events run by Mentors@Macquarie.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

Details of these services can be accessed at http://www.student.mq.edu.au/ses/.

IT Help

If you wish to receive IT help, we would be glad to assist you at http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.

When using the university's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students and it outlines what can be done.

Graduate Capabilities

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.